Temporal geomapping of pediatric surgeons in the United States

Several studies have addressed the issue of manpower needs in pediatric surgery. The number of training programs has multiplied dramatically over the past decade. The distribution of surgeons is more significant than the absolute change in numbers--are major metropolitan areas seeing a more dramatic increase than less populated areas? To evaluate the geographic and demographic changes associated with this increase, we used choropleth and geomapping techniques to evaluate the change in number and distribution of American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) members (and by proxy, pediatric surgeons) in the United States over the past decade.

Data regarding membership were obtained from APSA. In 1996, management companies changed, and accurate data for initial year of membership were only available after 1996. Online sources (www.services.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/home and www.mapresso.com) were used for data analysis.

There was a 175% increase in the number of APSA members over the past decade. The geographic distribution parallels the state population to some extent but is uneven. The number of APSA members by state over time is displayed in color density maps. Predictions of prior manpower studies were generally accurate.

The number of pediatric surgeons in the United States has rapidly increased in the past decade, with no sign of diminution in this trend. Increases in the number of surgeons correlates with state population, indicating a tendency for surgeons to reside in more densely populated areas, as expected. Areas with a disproportionately high or low number of surgeons can be identified via choropleth mapping.